The Best Piece of Advice John Lasseter Ever Received

Every leader leaves a legacy. With each decision, action, and sentence, a leader tells a story about what he or she values most — they are building their leadership legacy.

The truth of the matter is that some leaders only begin to think about their legacy in the final years leading up to their retirement. We would argue that its never too early to begin thinking about the legacy you will leave. What will people say about you after you have changed positions or left the organization?

For John Lasseter, it was 1986 when he received a piece of advice that would change the legacy he would leave. It was his first meeting with Steve Jobs following the purchase of Pixar and John was working on a short film, Tin Toy (which would go on to win the first Academy Award for computer animation). Jobs asked him to do just one thing, "make it great." Those three words have been the battle cry for each project John has touched since that meeting and have significantly impacted the legacy he will leave.

Consider how you want to be remembered. Each e-mail, project, and conversation hold the opportunity to impact something or someone — why not make it great?